Data Acquisition Apparatus, Data Acquisition System and Method of Acquiring Data

ABSTRACT

A data acquisition apparatus ( 200 ) comprises a processing resource operably coupled to an input unit ( 204 ) and an output unit ( 206 ). The processing resource ( 202 ) is arranged to provide an execution environment for supporting a user interface. An enquiry module ( 268 ) is provided and supported by the execution environment. The apparatus ( 200 ) also comprises a communications unit ( 166, 168 ) operably coupled to the processing resource for supporting communications over a communications network. The enquiry module ( 268 ) is arranged to generate ( 410 ) a search query relating to a point of interest and receive search results in response thereto via the communications unit ( 166, 168 ), the enquiry module ( 268 ) also being arranged to use the search results to derive data associated with the point of interest.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a data acquisition apparatus of thetype that, for example, proactively obtains data associated with a pointof interest. The present invention also relates to a data acquisitionsystem of the type that, for example, proactively obtains dataassociated with a point of interest for communication to a navigationapparatus. The present invention also relates to a method of acquiringdata, the method being of the type that, for example, proactivelyobtains data in relation to a point of interest.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Portable computing devices, for example Portable Navigation Devices(PNDs) that include GPS (Global Positioning System) signal reception andprocessing functionality are well known and are widely employed asin-car or other vehicle navigation systems.

In general terms, a modern PND comprises a processor, memory and mapdata stored within said memory. The processor and memory cooperate toprovide an execution environment in which a software operating system istypically established, and additionally it is commonplace for one ormore additional software programs to be provided to enable thefunctionality of the PND to be controlled, and to provide various otherfunctions.

Typically, these devices further comprise one or more input interfacesthat allow a user to interact with and control the device, and one ormore output interfaces by means of which information may be relayed tothe user. Illustrative examples of output interfaces include a visualdisplay and a speaker for audible output. Illustrative examples of inputinterfaces include one or more physical buttons to control on/offoperation or other features of the device (which buttons need notnecessarily be on the device itself but could be on a steering wheel ifthe device is built into a vehicle), and a microphone for detecting userspeech. In one particular arrangement, the output interface display maybe configured as a touch sensitive display (by means of a touchsensitive overlay or otherwise) additionally to provide an inputinterface by means of which a user can operate the device by touch.

Devices of this type will also often include one or more physicalconnector interfaces by means of which power and optionally data signalscan be transmitted to and received from the device, and optionally oneor more wireless transmitters/receivers to allow communication overcellular telecommunications and other signal and data networks, forexample Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, GSM, UMTS and the like.

PNDs of this type also include a GPS antenna by means of whichsatellite-broadcast signals, including location data, can be receivedand subsequently processed to determine a current location of thedevice.

The PND may also include electronic gyroscopes and accelerometers whichproduce signals that can be processed to determine the current angularand linear acceleration, and in turn, and in conjunction with locationinformation derived from the GPS signal, velocity and relativedisplacement of the device and thus the vehicle in which it is mounted.Typically, such features are most commonly provided in in-vehiclenavigation systems, but may also be provided in PNDs if it is expedientto do so.

The utility of such PNDs is manifested primarily in their ability todetermine a route between a first location (typically a start or currentlocation) and a second location (typically a destination). Theselocations can be input by a user of the device, by any of a wide varietyof different methods, for example by postcode, street name and housenumber, previously stored “well known” destinations (such as famouslocations, municipal locations (such as sports grounds or swimmingbaths) or other points of interest), and favourite or recently visiteddestinations.

Typically, the PND is enabled by software for computing a “best” or“optimum” route between the start and destination address locations fromthe map data. A “best” or “optimum” route is determined on the basis ofpredetermined criteria and need not necessarily be the fastest orshortest route. The selection of the route along which to guide thedriver can be very sophisticated, and the selected route may take intoaccount existing, predicted and dynamically and/or wirelessly receivedtraffic and road information, historical information about road speeds,and the driver's own preferences for the factors determining road choice(for example the driver may specify that the route should not includemotorways or toll roads).

The device may continually monitor road and traffic conditions, andoffer to or choose to change the route over which the remainder of thejourney is to be made due to changed conditions. Real time trafficmonitoring systems, based on various technologies (e.g. mobile phonedata exchanges, fixed cameras, GPS fleet tracking), are being used toidentify traffic delays and to feed the information into notificationsystems.

PNDs of this type may typically be mounted on the dashboard orwindscreen of a vehicle, but may also be formed as part of an on-boardcomputer of the vehicle radio or indeed as part of the control system ofthe vehicle itself. The navigation device may also be part of ahand-held system, such as a PDA (Portable Digital Assistant), a mediaplayer, a mobile telephone or the like, and in these cases, the normalfunctionality of the hand-held system is extended by means of theinstallation of software on the device to perform both route calculationand navigation along a calculated route.

Route planning and navigation functionality may also be provided by adesktop or mobile computing resource running appropriate software. Forexample, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) provides an on-line routeplanning and navigation facility at http://www.rac.co.uk, which facilityallows a user to enter a start point and a destination whereupon theserver with which the user's computing resource is communicatingcalculates a route (aspects of which may be user specified), generates amap, and generates a set of exhaustive navigation instructions forguiding the user from the selected start point to the selecteddestination. The facility also provides for pseudo three-dimensionalrendering of a calculated route, and route preview functionality whichsimulates a user travelling along the route and thereby provides theuser with a preview of the calculated route.

In the context of a PND, once a route has been calculated, the userinteracts with the navigation device to select the desired calculatedroute, optionally from a list of proposed routes. Optionally, the usermay intervene in, or guide the route selection process, for example byspecifying that certain routes, roads, locations or criteria are to beavoided or are mandatory for a particular journey. The route calculationaspect of the PND forms one primary function, and navigation along sucha route is another primary function.

During navigation along a calculated route, it is usual for such PNDs toprovide visual and/or audible instructions to guide the user along achosen route to the end of that route, i.e. the desired destination. Itis also usual for PNDs to display map information on-screen during thenavigation, such information regularly being updated on-screen so thatthe map information displayed is representative of the current locationof the device, and thus of the user or user's vehicle if the device isbeing used for in-vehicle navigation.

An icon displayed on-screen typically denotes the current devicelocation, and is centred with the map information of current andsurrounding roads in the vicinity of the current device location andother map features also being displayed. Additionally, navigationinformation may be displayed, optionally in a status bar above, below orto one side of the displayed map information, examples of navigationinformation include a distance to the next deviation from the currentroad required to be taken by the user, the nature of that deviationpossibly being represented by a further icon suggestive of theparticular type of deviation, for example a left or right turn. Thenavigation function also determines the content, duration and timing ofaudible instructions by means of which the user can be guided along theroute. As can be appreciated a simple instruction such as “turn left in100 m” requires significant processing and analysis. As previouslymentioned, user interaction with the device may be by a touch screen, oradditionally or alternately by steering column mounted remote control,by voice activation or by any other suitable method.

A further important function provided by the device is automatic routere-calculation in the event that: a user deviates from the previouslycalculated route during navigation (either by accident orintentionally); real-time traffic conditions dictate that an alternativeroute would be more expedient and the device is suitably enabled torecognize such conditions automatically, or if a user actively causesthe device to perform route re-calculation for any reason.

It is also known to allow a route to be calculated with user definedcriteria; for example, the user may prefer a scenic route to becalculated by the device, or may wish to avoid any roads on whichtraffic congestion is likely, expected or currently prevailing. Thedevice software would then calculate various routes and weigh morefavourably those that include along their route the highest number ofpoints of interest (known as POIs) tagged as being for example of scenicbeauty, or, using stored information indicative of prevailing trafficconditions on particular roads, order the calculated routes in terms ofa level of likely congestion or delay on account thereof. OtherPOI-based and traffic information-based route calculation and navigationcriteria are also possible.

Although the route calculation and navigation functions are fundamentalto the overall utility of PNDs, it is possible to use the device purelyfor information display, or “free-driving”, in which only mapinformation relevant to the current device location is displayed, and inwhich no route has been calculated and no navigation is currently beingperformed by the device. Such a mode of operation is often applicablewhen the user already knows the route along which it is desired totravel and does not require navigation assistance.

Devices of the type described above, for example the GO 930 Trafficmodel manufactured and supplied by TomTom International B.V., provide areliable means for enabling users to navigate from one position toanother. Such devices are of great utility when the user is not familiarwith the route to the destination to which they are navigating.

As indicated above, one or more POIs can be selected by a user of thePND in respect of a journey to be embarked upon or during a journey. Toselect a POI prior to a commencement of a journey, a user typicallynegotiates a menu structure of a user interface of the PND in order toselect a category of POI desired, for example a supermarket or a petrolstation. The application software of the PND then identifies, usinglocally stored data, a number of POIs of the type selected by the userand presents the identified POIs to the user via the user interface. Toassist the user, the application software typically orders the POIsidentified by distance from a current location of the PND and indicatesan associated distance value adjacent the POI listed. The user can thenselect one of the POIs identified by the user interface and theapplication software. In response to selection of one of the POIs, theapplication software either sets the POI selected as a waypoint or anultimate destination and the PND then calculates a route either via thePOI selected or to the POI selected, as appropriate. Of course, if theuser is already en-route and the PND is already providing navigationassistance, the PND, integrates the POI chosen into an existing routecalculated, for example by recalculating the existing route to take intoaccount the selection made by the user.

On the whole, this technique works quite well and provides satisfactoryresults for the user. However, a disadvantage of this technique is thata user, wishing to navigate to or via a given point of interest, canarrive at the given point of interest at a time that is incompatiblewith operating hours of the given point of interest. For example, it isconceivable that a user being navigated to a restaurant, the restaurantbeing a selected point of interest, can arrive after the restaurant hasclosed. Hence, it can be seen that a temporal mismatch can occur betweenan arrival time and the operating hours of the point of interest.Presently, a centralised telephone enquiry service, where the user ofthe PND or other individual can place a telephone call and enquire as tooperating times of a point of interest, does not exist. The user oranother individual is therefore charged with the responsibility ofdetermining the operating hours of the point of interest in other ways.In this respect, guesswork has to be employed or research undertakeninto the operating hours, for example by telephoning the point ofinterest directly or using a research tool, such as an Internet searchengine, in order to determine the operating hours, or rely upon memoryand use a priori knowledge of the operating hours. Such enquiries can bemade prior to departure or whilst en-route, but in both cases the userhas to resort to a considerable amount of manual activity in order toobtain the information required from a third party. The user then has toestimate travel time using mental arithmetic, a PND or a website-basedservice in order to determine an arrival time. Overall, this process istypically time consuming, inconvenient and prone to inaccuracy.Furthermore, telephoning the point of interest relies upon someone beingavailable to respond, and private research is not always successful andreliant upon the searching skills of an individual. Also, a prioriknowledge is not always completely accurate and sometimes prone toimperfect recollection. This is particularly the case where a POI hasvarying opening times that are difficult to track in human memory.Similarly, research results are sometimes prone to error. Additionally,the information required may not be in a language with which the user isfamiliar.

Of course, the user may simply forget to obtain information relating tooperating hours of the POI prior to departure and other portableelectronic apparatus, for example a mobile telephone, may not be able tosupport Internet access and hence post-departure research. In any event,even if the user has wireless Internet access, the user nevertheless hasto operate the mobile telephone or other wireless device in order tocheck the operating hours of the POI and to operate the PND in order toplan a route. Such convoluted activity requires time and effort and isnot necessarily attractive to the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provideda data acquisition apparatus comprising: a processing resource operablycoupled to an input unit and an output unit, the processing resourcebeing arranged to provide an execution environment for supporting a userinterface; an enquiry module supported by the execution environment; anda communications unit operably coupled to the processing resource forsupporting communications over a communications network; wherein theenquiry module is arranged to generate a search query relating to apoint of interest and receive search results in response thereto via thecommunications unit, the enquiry module also being arranged to use thesearch results to derive data associated with the point of interest.

The data associated with the point of interest may be associated with acontact detail, for example a telephone number.

The execution environment may support navigation functionality.

The data associated with the point of interest may be temporal data.

The search query may be formulated as a search engine query.

The enquiry module may be arranged to access content identified in thesearch results and derive the data from the accessed content.

The enquiry module may comprise a parser arranged to derive at least inpart the data associated with the point of interest.

The parser may be arranged to derive the data from the accessed content.

A search result of the search results may identify a web page comprisingthe content.

The search query may be directed to a web search engine.

The enquiry module may be arranged to analyse a property of a filecomprising the content and determine in response to the analysis whetherthe content is unlikely to comprise the data sought in relation to thepoint of interest. The property may be a file name.

The parser may be arranged to analyse a page title associated with theweb page and determine in response to the analysis whether the contentis unlikely to comprise the data sought in relation to the point ofinterest.

The parser may be arranged to analyse a tag of the web page anddetermine in response to the analysis whether the content is unlikely tocomprise the data sought in relation to the point of interest.

The enquiry module may be arranged to disregard the search result inresponse to the content being determined as unlikely to comprise thedata sought in relation to the point of interest.

The enquiry module may be arranged to disregard a search resultassociated with the content in response to the content being determinedas unlikely to comprise the data sought in relation to the point ofinterest.

The determination may be made with respect to a keyword.

The enquiry module may be arranged to structure the derived temporaldata in accordance with a data structure for subsequent use in relationto a temporal calculation.

The enquiry module may support web searching so as to provide a userwith the search results and may receive an identity of a selected searchresult selected by the user for parsing; the search results may comprisethe selected search result.

The execution environment may support a web browser interface; the webbrowser interface may be arranged to support the web searching.

The apparatus may further comprise a web search module arranged tosupport the web searching and permit the user to provide a search termto be submitted in order to obtain the search results.

The enquiry module may be arranged to investigate each of a plurality ofthe search results in order to derive the data sought in relation to thepoint of interest.

The temporal data may be associated with a period of time constituting aperiod when the point of interest is open.

The enquiry module may be arranged to access customary temporalinformation associated with the point of interest and to derive the datasought in relation to the point of interest from the customary temporalinformation.

The enquiry module may be arranged to analyse location data andassociated temporal data in order to verify the data derived in relationto the point of interest.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provideda data acquisition system comprising: a server apparatus comprising thedata acquisition apparatus as set forth above in relation to the firstaspect of the invention; and a navigation apparatus; wherein thenavigation apparatus is arranged to query the server apparatus via thecommunications network in order to obtain the data sought in relation tothe point of interest.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provideda navigation apparatus comprising the data acquisition apparatus as setforth above in relation to the first aspect of the invention.

The navigation apparatus may be a navigation device. The navigationdevice may be portable.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provideda server apparatus comprising the data acquisition apparatus as setforth above in relation to the first aspect of the invention.

The server apparatus may further comprise a database of points ofinterest; and the enquiry module may be arranged to enrich the databaseof points of interest by deriving respective data in respect of morethan one point of interest in the database of points of interest.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method of acquiring data in relation to a point of interest, themethod comprising: providing an execution environment for supporting auser interface, the execution environment supporting an enquiry module;the enquiry module generating a search query; communicating the searchquery relating to a point of interest over a communications network; theenquiry module receiving search results in response thereto via thecommunications network; and the enquiry module using the search resultsto derive data associated with a point of interest.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provideda computer program element comprising computer program code means tomake a computer execute the method as set forth above in relation to thefourth or fifth aspects of the invention.

The computer program element may be embodied on a computer readablemedium.

Advantages of these embodiments are set out hereafter, and furtherdetails and features of each of these embodiments are defined in theaccompanying dependent claims and elsewhere in the following detaileddescription.

It is thus possible to provide a navigation apparatus, a serverapparatus and a method therefor capable of enriching or supplementingPOI information so as to be of greater quality than POI informationabsent of temporal information. POI information of improved accuracy andusefulness is thus provided. Indeed, data is generated that can be usedto enable a user to maximise the likelihood of arriving at the point ofinterest in good time or at least in time. In this respect, thesupplemented or enriched POI information can thus be beneficially usedto provide the user with an opportunity, using a suitable calculationtechnique, not to waste time travelling to POIs that are unavailable,inaccessible or no longer in existence. Additionally, the user does nothave to remember to check operating hours of the POI as the navigationapparatus ensures that this information is checked. Similarly, when auser is en-route, the user can be warned when arrival at the POIselected will be at a time incompatible with the operating hours of thePOI and, optionally, provided with an opportunity to select another POIin the event of a delay being encountered en-route that would result inthe initial POI selected not being reached in time. The user can thus beprovided with one or more warnings during a journey and/or prior todeparture. The apparatus and method thus provide an improved userexperience in relation to the navigation apparatus, as well as thepossibility of saving the user time and inconvenience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

At least one embodiment of the invention will now be described, by wayof example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary part of a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) usable by a navigation apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communications system forcommunication between a navigation apparatus and a server apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of electronic components of thenavigation apparatus of FIG. 2 or any other suitable navigationapparatus;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an arrangement of mounting and/ordocking a navigation apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of an architectural stack employedby the navigation apparatus of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a module of FIG. 5 in greater detail;

FIG. 7 is flow diagram of a method of providing POI information used bythe navigation apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3 and constituting an embodimentof the invention;

FIGS. 8 to 15 are screen shots from the navigation apparatus duringperformance of a point of interest selection procedure used in themethod of FIG. 7;

FIG. 16 is a screen shot of a web browser interface used in anotherembodiment of the invention in relation to the method of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 17 to 19 are screen shots from the navigation apparatus duringroute confirmation and navigation to a destination; and

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram of a method of data verification constitutinga further embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Throughout the following description identical reference numerals willbe used to identify like parts.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described withparticular reference to a PND. It should be remembered, however, thatthe teachings herein are not limited to PNDs but are instead universallyapplicable to any type of processing device that is configured toexecute navigation software in a portable and/or mobile manner so as toprovide route planning and navigation functionality. It followstherefore that in the context of the embodiments set forth herein, anavigation apparatus is intended to include (without limitation) anytype of route planning and navigation apparatus, irrespective of whetherthat device is embodied as a PND, a vehicle such as an automobile, orindeed a portable computing resource, for example a portable personalcomputer (PC), a mobile telephone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)executing route planning and navigation software.

It should be appreciated that, in some circumstances, the “destination”location selected by a user need not have a corresponding start locationfrom which the user wishes to start navigating, and as a consequencereferences herein to the “destination” location or indeed to a“destination” view should not be interpreted to mean that the generationof an initial route is essential, that travelling to the “destination”must occur, or indeed that the presence of a destination requires thedesignation of a corresponding start location.

With the above provisos in mind, the Global Positioning System (GPS) ofFIG. 1 and the like are used for a variety of purposes. In general, theGPS is a satellite-radio based navigation system capable of determiningcontinuous position, velocity, time, and in some instances directioninformation for an unlimited number of users. Formerly known as NAVSTAR,the GPS incorporates a plurality of satellites which orbit the earth inextremely precise orbits. Based on these precise orbits, GPS satellitescan relay their location to any number of receiving units.

The GPS system is implemented when a device, specially equipped toreceive GPS data, begins scanning radio frequencies for GPS satellitesignals. Upon receiving a radio signal from a GPS satellite, the devicedetermines the precise location of that satellite via one of a pluralityof different conventional methods. The device will continue scanning, inmost instances, for signals until it has acquired at least threedifferent satellite signals (noting that position is not normally, butcan be determined, with only two signals using other triangulationtechniques). Implementing geometric triangulation, the receiver utilizesthe three known positions to determine its own two-dimensional positionrelative to the satellites. This can be done in a known manner.Additionally, acquiring a fourth satellite signal allows the receivingdevice to calculate its three dimensional position by the samegeometrical calculation in a known manner. The position and velocitydata can be updated in real time on a continuous basis by an unlimitednumber of users.

As shown in FIG. 1, the GPS system 100 comprises a plurality ofsatellites 102 orbiting about the earth 104. A GPS receiver 106 receivesspread spectrum GPS satellite data signals 108 from a number of theplurality of satellites 102. The spread spectrum data signals 108 arecontinuously transmitted from each satellite 102, the spread spectrumdata signals 108 transmitted each comprise a data stream includinginformation identifying a particular satellite 102 from which the datastream originates. The GPS receiver 106 generally requires spreadspectrum data signals 108 from at least three satellites 102 in order tobe able to calculate a two-dimensional position. Receipt of a fourthspread spectrum data signal enables the GPS receiver 106 to calculate,using a known technique, a three-dimensional position.

In FIG. 2, a navigation system comprises a navigation apparatus 200capable of communicating, if desired in an embodiment, with a server 150via a communications channel 152 supported by a communications network,for example a Wide Area Network (WAN), such as the Internet, that can beimplemented by any of a number of different arrangements. Thecommunication channel 152 generically represents the propagating mediumor path that connects the navigation apparatus 200 and the server 150.The server 150 and the navigation apparatus 200 can communicate when aconnection via the communications channel 152 is established between theserver 150 and the navigation apparatus 200 (noting that such aconnection can be a data connection via mobile device, a directconnection via personal computer via the Internet, etc.).

The communication channel 152 is not limited to a particularcommunication technology. Additionally, the communication channel 152 isnot limited to a single communication technology; that is, the channel152 may include several communication links that use a variety oftechnology. For example, the communication channel 152 can be adapted toprovide a path for electrical, optical, and/or electromagneticcommunications, etc. As such, the communication channel 152 includes,but is not limited to, one or a combination of the following: electriccircuits, electrical conductors such as wires and coaxial cables, fibreoptic cables, converters, radio-frequency (RF) waves, the atmosphere,free space, etc. Furthermore, the communication channel 152 can includeintermediate devices such as routers, repeaters, buffers, transmitters,and receivers, for example.

In one illustrative arrangement, the communication channel 152 issupported by telephone and computer networks. Furthermore, thecommunication channel 152 may be capable of accommodating wirelesscommunication, for example, infrared communications, radio frequencycommunications, such as microwave frequency communications, etc.Additionally, the communication channel 152 can accommodate satellitecommunication.

The communication signals transmitted through the communication channel152 include, but are not limited to, signals as may be required ordesired for given communication technology. For example, the signals maybe adapted to be used in cellular communication technology such as TimeDivision Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access(FDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), etc. Both digital and analogue signals can betransmitted through the communication channel 152. These signals may bemodulated, encrypted and/or compressed signals as may be desirable forthe communication technology.

In this example, the navigation apparatus 200 comprising or coupled tothe GPS receiver device 106, is capable of establishing a data session,if required, with network hardware of a communications network, forexample a “mobile” communications network via a wireless communicationsterminal (not shown), such as a mobile telephone, PDA, and/or any deviceequipped with mobile telephone technology, in order to establish adigital connection, for example a digital connection via known Bluetoothtechnology. Thereafter, through its network service provider, the mobileterminal can establish a network connection (through the Internet forexample) with the server 150. As such, a “mobile” network connection canbe established between the navigation apparatus 200 (which can be, andoften times is, mobile as it travels alone and/or in a vehicle) and theserver 150.

In this example, the navigation apparatus 200 is a Bluetooth enablednavigation apparatus in order that the navigation apparatus 200 can beagnostic to the settings of the wireless communications terminal,thereby enabling the navigation apparatus 200 to operate correctly withthe ever changing spectrum of mobile telephone models, manufacturers,etc. Model/manufacturer specific settings may, for example, be stored onthe navigation apparatus 200.

Although not shown, instead of requiring the wireless communicationsterminal to provide access to the communications network, the navigationapparatus 200 can, of course, comprise mobile telephone technology,including an antenna, for example, or optionally using an internalantenna of the navigation apparatus 200. The mobile telephone technologywithin the navigation apparatus 200 can also include an insertable card(e.g. Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card). As such, mobile telephonetechnology within the navigation apparatus 200 can similarly establish anetwork connection between the navigation apparatus 200 and the server150, via the Internet for example, in a manner similar to that of anywireless communications-enabled terminal.

The establishing of the network connection between the mobile device(via a service provider) and another device such as the server 150,using the Internet for example, can be done in a known manner. In thisrespect, any number of appropriate data communications protocols can beemployed, for example the TCP/IP layered protocol. Furthermore, themobile device can utilize any number of communication standards such asCDMA2000, GSM, IEEE 802.11 a/b/c/g/n, etc.

Hence, it can be seen that the Internet connection may be utilised,which can be achieved via a data connection using the mobile telephoneor mobile telephone technology.

The server 150 includes, in addition to other components which may notbe illustrated, a processor 154 operatively connected to a memory 156and further operatively connected, via a wired or wireless connection158, to a mass data storage device 160. The mass storage device 160contains a store of navigation data and map information, and can againbe a separate device from the server 150 or can be incorporated into theserver 150. The processor 154 is further operatively connected totransmitter 162 and receiver 164, to transmit and receive information toand from navigation apparatus 200 via the communications channel 152.The signals sent and received may include data, communication, and/orother propagated signals. The transmitter 162 and receiver 164 may beselected or designed according to the communications requirement andcommunication technology used in the communication design for thenavigation system 200. Further, it should be noted that the functions oftransmitter 162 and receiver 164 may be combined into a singletransceiver.

As mentioned above, the navigation apparatus 200 can be arranged tocommunicate with the server 150 through communications channel 152,using transmitter 166 and receiver 168 to send and receive signalsand/or data through the communications channel 152, noting that thesedevices can further be used to communicate with devices other than theserver 150, for example other servers (not shown). Further, thetransmitter 166 and receiver 168 constitute a communications unit andare selected or designed according to communication requirements andcommunication technology used in the communication design for thenavigation apparatus 200 and the functions of the transmitter 166 andreceiver 168 may be combined into a single transceiver as describedabove in relation to FIG. 2. Of course, the navigation apparatus 200comprises other hardware and/or functional parts, which will bedescribed later herein in further detail.

Software stored in server memory 156 provides instructions for theprocessor 154 and allows the server 150 to provide services to thenavigation apparatus 200. One service provided by the server 150involves processing requests from the navigation apparatus.

The server 150 constitutes a remote source of data accessible by thenavigation apparatus 200 via, for example, a wireless channel. Theserver 150 may include a network server located on a local area network(LAN), wide area network (WAN), virtual private network (VPN), etc. Apersonal computer may be connected between the navigation apparatus 200and the server 150 to establish an Internet connection between theserver 150 and the navigation apparatus 200.

Referring to FIG. 3, it should be noted that the block diagram of thenavigation apparatus 200 is not inclusive of all components of thenavigation apparatus, but is only representative of many examplecomponents. The navigation apparatus 200 is located within a housing(not shown). The navigation apparatus 200 includes a processing resourcecomprising, for example, the processor 202 mentioned above, theprocessor 202 being coupled to an input device 204 and a display device,for example a display screen 206. Although reference is made here to theinput device 204 in the singular, the skilled person should appreciatethat the input device 204 represents any number of input devices,including a keyboard device, voice input device, touch panel and/or anyother known input device utilised to input information. Likewise, thedisplay screen 206 can include any type of display screen such as aLiquid Crystal Display (LCD), for example.

In one arrangement, one aspect of the input device 204, the touch panel,and the display screen 206 are integrated so as to provide an integratedinput and display device, including a touchpad or touchscreen input 250(FIG. 4) to enable both input of information (via direct input, menuselection, etc.) and display of information through the touch panelscreen so that a user need only touch a portion of the display screen206 to select one of a plurality of display choices or to activate oneof a plurality of virtual or “soft” buttons. In this respect, theprocessor 202 supports a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that operates inconjunction with the touchscreen.

In the navigation apparatus 200, the processor 202 is operativelyconnected to and capable of receiving input information from inputdevice 204 via a connection 210, and operatively connected to at leastone of the display screen 206 and the output device 208, via respectiveoutput connections 212, to output information thereto. The navigationapparatus 200 may include an output device 208, for example an audibleoutput device (e.g. a loudspeaker). As the output device 208 can produceaudible information for a user of the navigation apparatus 200, it isshould equally be understood that input device 204 can include amicrophone and software for receiving input voice commands as well.Further, the navigation apparatus 200 can also include any additionalinput device 204 and/or any additional output device, such as audioinput/output devices for example. The processor 202 is operably coupledto a memory resource 214 via connection 216 and is further adapted toreceive/send information from/to input/output (I/O) ports 218 viaconnection 220, wherein the I/O port 218 is connectable to an I/O device222 external to the navigation apparatus 200. The memory resource 230comprises, for example, a volatile memory, such as a Random AccessMemory (RAM) and a non-volatile memory, for example a digital memory,such as a flash memory. The external I/O device 222 may include, but isnot limited to an external listening device, such as an earpiece forexample. The connection to I/O device 222 can further be a wired orwireless connection to any other external device such as a car stereounit for hands-free operation and/or for voice activated operation forexample, for connection to an earpiece or headphones, and/or forconnection to a mobile telephone for example, wherein the mobiletelephone connection can be used to establish the data connectionbetween the navigation apparatus 200 and the server 150 via the Internetor any other network for example.

FIG. 3 further illustrates an operative connection between the processor202 and an antenna/receiver 224 via connection 226, wherein theantenna/receiver 224 can be a GPS antenna/receiver for example. Itshould be understood that the antenna and receiver designated byreference numeral 224 are combined schematically for illustration, butthat the antenna and receiver may be separately located components, andthat the antenna may be a GPS patch antenna or helical antenna forexample.

It will, of course, be understood by one of ordinary skill in the artthat the electronic components shown in FIG. 3 are powered by one ormore power sources (not shown) in a conventional manner. As will beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art, different configurationsof the components shown in FIG. 3 are contemplated. For example, thecomponents shown in FIG. 3 may be in communication with one another viawired and/or wireless connections and the like. Thus, the navigationapparatus 200 described herein can be a portable or handheld navigationdevice 200.

In addition, the portable or handheld navigation device 200 of FIG. 3can be connected or “docked” in a known manner to a vehicle such as abicycle, a motorbike, a car or a boat for example. Such a navigationdevice 200 is then removable from the docked location for portable orhandheld navigation use.

Referring to FIG. 4, the navigation apparatus 200 may be a unit thatincludes the integrated input and display device 206 and the othercomponents of FIG. 2 (including, but not limited to, the internal GPSreceiver 224, the microprocessor 202, a power supply (not shown), memorysystems 214, etc.).

The navigation apparatus 200 may sit on an arm 252, which itself may besecured to a vehicle dashboard/window/etc. using a suction cup 254. Thisarm 252 is one example of a docking station to which the navigationapparatus 200 can be docked. The navigation apparatus 200 can be dockedor otherwise connected to the arm 252 of the docking station by snapconnecting the navigation apparatus 200 to the arm 252 for example. Thenavigation apparatus 200 may then be rotatable on the arm 252. Torelease the connection between the navigation apparatus 200 and thedocking station, a button (not shown) on the navigation apparatus 200may be pressed, for example. Other equally suitable arrangements forcoupling and decoupling the navigation apparatus 200 to a dockingstation are well known to persons of ordinary skill in the art.

Turning to FIG. 5, the memory resource 214 stores a boot loader program(not shown) that his executed by the processor 202 in order to load anoperating system 264 from the memory resource 214 for execution byfunctional hardware components 260, which provides an environment inwhich application software 266 can run. The application software 266provides an operational environment including the GUI that supports corefunctions of the navigation apparatus 200, for example map viewing,route planning, navigation functions and any other functions associatedtherewith. In this respect, part of the application software 266comprises a POI information retrieval module 268 constituting an enquirymodule. The navigation apparatus 200 supporting the enquiry module alsoconstitutes a data acquisition apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 6, the POI information retrieval module 268 comprisesa web search module 270 capable of communicating with the server 150.The POI information retrieval module 268 also comprises an analysismodule 272 comprising a parser 274, the analysis module 272 beingcapable of communicating with the web search module 270. The POIinformation retrieval module 268 further comprises a data verificationmodule 276 capable of accessing the local database of POIs 228 and usingthe user interface.

Operation of the above navigation apparatus 200 will now be described inthe context of a user of the navigation apparatus 200 wishing to travelbetween two locations in Germany. However, the skilled person shouldappreciate that other equally applicable examples are conceivable andthe choice of locations is not intended to be limiting.

In operation (FIG. 7), the user, a visitor to the offices of theEuropean Patent Office in Munich, Germany, located at Erhardstraβe, 27,requires navigation assistance to a restaurant located in Munich, thename of which is known to the user. The restaurant is an example of aPoint of Interest (POI). The POI is recorded in a database of POIs 228stored by the memory resource 214, constituting a data store. Thedatabase of POIs comprises a plurality of POI entries and is organisedin accordance with a data structure that supports the recordal of bothspatial and temporal information concerning the POIs, the temporalinformation of a POI entry constituting a temporal data component.Hence, the data structure is arranged to accommodate a name of the POI,coordinates, expressed for example in terms of longitude and latitude,and any temporal characteristics associated with the POI. In addition,in this example, each entry in the database of POIs includes adescription for the POI and image data. The data structure can supportthe inclusion of other information, for example altitude and telephonenumbers. Similarly, the data structure need not support storage of alltypes of data described above. One example data structure is as shown inTable I below:

TABLE I Name Longitude Latitude Type Telephone Image http TemporalRecurrence, number address limit, e.g. e.g. weekly closing time

The temporal characteristics mentioned above are, in this example, hoursof business, such as opening times. However, the temporal data need notrelate to hours of business and can relate to other operating times, forexample periods of availability and/or accessibility. Furthermore, thetemporal characteristics can be more sophisticated than a set of hoursof business that apply for all weeks in a year, for example somerestaurants have weekly and/or seasonally varying opening times, or areeven closed during some seasons. The seasonal data can therefore beincluded in the temporal information recorded in accordance with thedata structure. The skilled person should appreciate that recordal ofother temporal information can be accommodated by the data structure aswill become apparent from other examples described later herein. In thisexample, whilst the database of POIs 228 comprises the capacity torecord temporal information, the database of POIs 228 is incompleteinsofar as the temporal information associated with the restaurantsought by the user is not provided. In another example, instead of someentries in the database of POIs 228 lacking corresponding temporalinformation, the database of POIs 228 can be empty in respect oftemporal information and can require enrichment by derivation of thetemporal information and subsequent update of the database of POIs 228.This latter example will be described in further detail later herein.

In order to implement navigation to the POI using the navigationapparatus, the user configures a route as follows. Referring also toFIGS. 8 to 15, the user undertakes an illustrative destination locationinput process (Step 400) described hereinbelow. Although not shown, theuser uses a settings menu option supported by the application software266 in order to select view generation in a three-dimensional mode.

When the user switches on the navigation apparatus 200, the apparatus200 acquires a GPS fix and performs a self-location determination bycalculating (in a known manner) the current location of the navigationapparatus 200. The user is then presented, as shown in FIG. 8, with adisplay 300 showing in pseudo three-dimensions: a local environment 302in which the navigation apparatus 200 is determined to be located and,in a region 304 of the display 300 below the local environment 302, aset of control and status messages.

By touching the display at the local environment 302, the navigationapparatus 200 updates the display 300 by displaying (as shown in FIG. 9)a series of virtual or soft buttons 306 by means of which the user can,inter alia, input a destination to which the user wishes to navigate.

By touching the “Navigate to” virtual button 308, the navigationapparatus 200 switches to display (as shown in FIG. 10) a plurality ofvirtual buttons as part of a destination selection interface that areeach associated with a different category of selectable destinations. Inthis instance, the display 300 shows a “Home” virtual button that ifpressed would set the destination to a stored home location. A“Favourite” virtual button, if pressed, reveals a list of destinationsthat the user has previously stored in the navigation apparatus 200 andif one of these destinations is then selected the destination for theroute to be calculated is set to the selected previously storeddestination. An “Address” virtual button commences a process by whichthe user can input the street address of the destination to which theuser wishes to navigate. A “Recent destination” soft button, if pressed,reveals a list of selectable destinations held in the memory of thenavigation apparatus 200 and to which the user has recently navigated.Selection of one of the destinations populating this list would set thedestination location for the route to the selected (previously visited)location. A triangular “arrow” shaped virtual button provides access toadditional sub-menu options relating to the “Navigate to . . . ” menuoption. A “Point of interest” virtual button 310, if pressed, reveals anumber of options by means of which a user can opt to navigate to any ofa plurality of locations, such as Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs),petrol stations or tourist attractions, which have been pre-stored inthe navigation apparatus 200 as locations to which the user of thenavigation apparatus 200 might want to navigate, as described above.

Since the user, in this example, knows the name of the destination towhich the user wishes the navigation apparatus 200 to calculate a route,it is assumed that the “Point of Interest” virtual button 310 isoperated by touching the button displayed on the touchscreen, whereupon(as shown in FIG. 11) the user is presented with a series of POIoptions. In particular, the display 300 shows a “POI near you” virtualbutton 312, a “POI in city” virtual button, a “POI near Home” virtualbutton, a “POI along route” virtual button, a “POI near destination”virtual button and a quick selection virtual button relating to arecently selected POI, for example a petrol station.

As the user knows that the restaurant is relatively near the currentlocation of the navigation apparatus 200, the user touches the “POI nearyou” virtual button 312 whereupon the user is then presented, as shownin FIG. 12, with a series of further POI options. In this example, thedisplay 300 is updated to show an “Any POI category” virtual button thatpermits the user to type a name of a particular POI, as well as specificPOI categories using a “Restaurant” POI virtual button 314, a “PetrolStation” POI virtual button, an “Airport” virtual button, and an“Hotel/motel” virtual button. A triangular “arrow” shaped virtual buttonprovides access to a prompt to allow the user to enter a name of a POIcategory not currently displayed. However, in this example, the userselects the “Restaurant” POI virtual button 314 and the navigationapparatus 200 switches to display (as shown in FIG. 13) a list ofrestaurants 316, constituting POIs, in the vicinity of the currentlocation of the navigation apparatus 200. After using a scroll virtualbutton 318 to scroll down the list of restaurants 316 displayed, theuser finds that the restaurant sought is not listed and so the userpresses a find button (not shown in FIG. 13), whereupon the navigationapparatus 200 updates the display 300 (as shown in FIG. 14) in order toshow a virtual keypad 320 and prompts the user, by means of a prompt322, to enter the name of the POI sought.

The user therefore begins to type the name of the restaurant, forexample the first three letters of the name of the restaurant, using thevirtual keypad 320 until the name of the restaurant appears in a resultsspace 324 located between the prompt 322 and the virtual keypad 320. Inthis example, the user wishes to visit a restaurant called “Acquarello”and the results space 324 contains a results entry 326 entitled“Acquarello restaurant”. As this is the restaurant sought by the user,the user selects the restaurant by touching the results entry 326 andthe navigation apparatus 200 updates the display 300 (as shown in FIG.15) in order to show a location 328 of the results entry 326 relative toneighbouring streets, as well as other details relating to the resultsentry 326, in this example the restaurant called “Acquarello” in Munich.The display 300 also shows a “Back” virtual button, a “Dial” virtualbutton for where telephone integration support is provided and a“Select” virtual button 330.

In order to display the information mentioned above concerning theresults entry 326, the processor 200 accesses the database of POIs 228and retrieves the POI data relating to the restaurant selected and thatis stored in the data store according to the data structure.

As the user believes that the correct POI details have been retrieved,the user confirms selection of the POI by touching the “Select” virtualbutton 330, whereupon the application software 266 of the navigationapparatus 200 calculates (Step 402) a route between the current locationof the navigation apparatus 200 and the selected POI destination. Inthis example, the processor 202 then calculates a journey timeassociated with the route calculated, the journey time being estimated.The estimation can involve use of traffic data and any other dataavailable, for example road speed limit data.

The POI information retrieval module 268 then determines (Step 404)whether the local database of POIs 228 comprises temporal informationassociated with the point of interest selected. In the event that thelocal database of POIs 228 comprises the temporal information associatedwith the point of interest selected, the POI information retrievalmodule 268 determines (Step 406) whether the temporal information heldand associated with the point of interest selected is reliable andup-to-date and/or complete. In this respect, reliability can beindicated in the local database of POIs 228 by a rating that is storedagainst each item of temporal information stored in the database of POIs228, the rating being generated by a compiler of the local database ofPOIs 228 from aggregated information obtained from other users and/orinformation provided in relation to use of the navigation apparatus 200.In relation to the “currentness” of the temporal information stored inrelation to the point of interest selected, a date can be stored inrespect of the temporal information to permit calculation of the age ofthe temporal information. If desired, an expiry date can also beemployed in relation to the temporal information. In order to store theabove-mentioned data, the data structure described herein in relation tothe database of POIs 228, of course, needs to be expanded.

In the event that the temporal information is deemed reliable and/orup-to-date, the temporal information can be used (Step 408) by theapplication software 266 in order to, for example, provide the user witha warning as will be described in more detail later herein.Alternatively, when the temporal information is either unavailable,unreliable and/or not current, the web search module 270 of the POIinformation retrieval module 268 initiates (Step 410) a web searchprocess, various examples of which are set out below.

In a first example, the application web search module 270 is used togenerate a web search query. The web search query is formed inaccordance with a syntax used by a web search engine to which the websearch query is to be sent. In this example, the web search engine (notshown) to be used is Google, the server 150 constituting an illustrativeserver used to support the web search engine and is used for the sake ofsimplicity and clarity of description. The skilled person will, ofcourse, appreciate that other more elaborate implementations aretypically employed. The skilled person should also appreciate that otherweb search engines can additionally or alternatively be employed inorder to obtain search results. Where more than one search engine is tobe queried, more than one web search query is formed using respectivesyntax for each of the web search engines to be queried. In thisexample, only one search engine is being described as being queried forthe sake of conciseness and clarity of description.

As mentioned above, the web search module 270 forms the web search queryin accordance with the syntax required for submitting a web search queryto the Google search engine. Generically, the search terms employed caninclude: POI type, POI name, city, street name and/or house number orname. In the context of a restaurant, the search terms can be:restaurant type, restaurant name, city, street name and/or house numberor name. One example search enquiry therefore employs the followingsearch terms: Italian restaurant, Acquarello, Munich, Mühlbaurstraße 36.In order to guide the web search, indicators can be employed toindentify search terms for which an exact match is required. Forexample, the above search terms relating to the restaurant Acquarello,can be expressed as follows: “Italian restaurant”, +“Acquarello”,“Germany”, +“Munich”, +“Mühlbaurstraße 36”, where the “+” character isused to identify search terms for which an exact match is required.

The search query is sent, in this example, using the communications unitof the navigation apparatus 200 via the Internet. The search query issubmitted to the server 150 supporting the search engine service. Thesearch engine performs a search in response to receipt of the searchquery in accordance with any appropriate search technique and searchresults are sent to the navigation apparatus 200 for receipt of thesearch results via the communications unit and the Internet.

If too few results are returned by the web search engine, the web searchmodule can modify the search terms used, for example, by reducing thenumber of search terms used and/or the number of search terms for whichan exact match is required. The search query is then re-sent to thesearch engine in modified form and/or other filtering options supportedby the web search engine are used, in order to obtain replacement searchresults. Similarly, where too many search results are returned, thesearch terms can be modified in a converse manner to that describedabove in order to yield fewer search results. Additionally, oralternatively, the search results obtained can be filtered (Step 412)through analysis of one or more aspects associated with the searchresults.

In this example, the user does not have to be made aware that a searchis being performed, though a message advising the user that acquisitionof temporal information is taking place and/or asking the user to waitcan be provided via the user interface in order to mitigate instances ofpremature user departure. In any event, the search results returned bythe web search engine comprise a number of hyperlinks identifying webpages comprising content. In this example, the content of one or more ofthe web pages identified comprise the temporal information sought inrelation to the point of interest selected as will be described ingreater detail later herein. The web search module 270 of the POIinformation retrieval module 268 therefore accesses each web page, inturn, and analyses one or more aspects or properties of each web pageretrieved. For example, the POI information retrieval module 268analyses a title of a web page downloaded, a file name of a filedownloaded and containing data constituting the web page, and/or one ormore tags or other identifiers stored in relation to the web page.

In order to analyse the title and/or the file name as mentioned above,the analysis module 272 of the POI information retrieval module 268examines the file name given to the web page downloaded and/or any tagsembedded in the web page in order to find any matches with key terms orwords, for example: “opening hours”, “contact details”, “contact us”,“OpeningHours.html”, and/or “ContactDetails.html”. Where matches for thekey terms have been found, the matches are considered as indicative ofweb pages containing content that is likely to include the temporalinformation sought in relation to the point of interest or at least partthereof.

In another embodiment, the analysis module 272 can be arranged tocooperate with the web search module 270 in order to analyse other pagesof a website comprising the web page. In such an implementation, theanalysis module 272 can employ the above-described filtering techniquein order to ignore those pages of the website that are unlikely tocontain the temporal information sought.

In a further embodiment (FIG. 16), the application software 266 cansupport web browser functionality and hence a web browser interface, forexample through the web search module 270, in order to present to theuser the number of hyperlinks 278 identifying the web pages mentionedabove in relation to the search results. The user can then be permitted,using the user interface, to select one of the hyperlinks that the userconsiders most likely to comprise the temporal information sought.Indeed, if desired, the web browser functionality can enable the user toview the web page and/or even view other pages from the same website inorder to verify that the page being viewed comprises the temporalinformation sought. By providing the user with the option to be involvedin the filtering process, the likelihood and speed of obtaining thetemporal information sought is increased. Optionally, the web browserfunctionality can be expanded in relation to the above embodiments topermit the user to enter one or more search terms and/or modify one ormore search terms generated by the web search module 270.

In order to identify and extract the temporal information from the webpages identified in the search results and, where appropriate asfiltered, it is necessary for the parser 274 of the analysis module 272to parse (Step 414) the content of the web pages shortlisted by thefiltering process mentioned above. Otherwise, if filtering is notperformed, the web search module 270 simply accesses, in turn, each webpage listed in the search results and the parser 274 parses the contentof each web page.

Any suitable content parsing technique can be employed, for example atechnique that searches for specific relevant terms in the content, forexample times and/or dates and/or days and/or seasons and/or publicholidays, in order to derive the temporal information sought. Ifdesired, the parser 274 can analyse content surrounding the terms foundin the content in order to ascertain context so as to improve accuracyof recognition of the temporal information or at least part thereof. Inthis example, the parser 274 searches for the following terms: open,closed, opening hours, business hours, Monday, Mon, Tuesday, Tue,Mon-Fri, Tue through Sat, pm, am, o'clock and/or till. However, theskilled person should appreciate that a greater or fewer number of termscan be used in connection with parsing the content of each web page. Inanother embodiment, the analysis module 272 can examine the web page inorder to identify a structure, for example a table, in the web page thatcontains at least part of the temporal information sought.

Once temporal information has been identified by the parser 274, theanalysis module 272 reconstructs the data extracted in order to generatea structured record of opening times for the point of interest selected,and to store the temporal information in accordance with the datastructure supported by the local database of POIs 228. One example ofthe temporal extracted can comprise the following information as set outin Table I below:

TABLE I Opening hours Mon-Friday 9am till 5pm Sat-Sun Closed Open on1^(st) January 2009 from 8 till 8 Closed on Christmas Day

In this example, the analysis module 272 processes the above informationof Table I in order to yield data in the following form: Monday(9:00am;5:00 pm), Tuesday(9:00 am;5:00 pm), Wednesday(9:00 am;5:00 pm),Thursday(9:00 am;5:00 pm), Friday(9:00 am;5:00 pm), Saturday(0),Sunday(0), 24/December/2008(0), 01/January/2009(8:00 am;8:00 pm). Insome examples, achieving this level of detail can require parsing ofmultiple web pages. If required, this information can be compressedfurther. The information derived from the content of one or more webpages is therefore used to populate (Step 416) the data structure of thelocal database of POIs 228.

Once the temporal information has been derived, the analysis module 272of the POI information retrieval module 268 then determines (Step 418)whether the temporal information derived comprises temporal informationrelevant to the journey to be embarked upon by the user in relation tothe selected point of interest. In particular in this example, theanalysis module 272 determines whether the temporal information derivedis relevant to the estimated arrival time calculated above. For example,if the temporal information derived relates to a period of time, such asa season or a day, in which the estimated arrival time does not fall,then the temporal information derived is not relevant. If the temporalinformation derived does not comprise data relevant to the estimatedarrival time of the user at the selected point of interest, theapplication software 266 of the navigation apparatus 200 offers (Step420) the user an option of using customary information associated withthe type of point of interest selected, if such customary information isavailable to the navigation apparatus 200 either through locally storedinformation, or information held by a remote server. In this respect,for some categories of point of interest, for example, fast foodrestaurants or convenience stores, opening times may customarily be, forexample, 24 hours. Similarly, in relation to post offices and banks, theclosing times can be known to be 5:00 pm. The customary information canvary depending upon the locality of the point of interest selected, forexample country. The application software 266 then awaits (Step 422) aresponse from the user via the user interface and, if the user declinesto accept use of any available customary information or if suchcustomary information is not available, the application software 200clearly does not possess the necessary temporal information sought inorder to perform any added-value calculations in relation to theestimated arrival time of the user at the selected point of interest andso the application software 266 proceeds (Step 424), for example, withthe selection of the route initiated above in the hope that the point ofinterest selected is open for business or not, for example, close toclosing when the user arrives at the selected point of interest.

In the present example, the customary information is unavailable, butthe temporal information derived comprises information that can be used(Step 426) to perform an added-value calculation mentioned above.Likewise, if the user accepts use by the application software 266 of thecustomary temporal information available, the application software canperform (Step 426) the added-value calculation mentioned above, butusing the customary information. In this respect, one example of theadded-value calculation is comparison of the estimated arrival timecalculated in respect of the point of interest selected with a closingtime of the selected point of interest, the application software 266providing the user with a visual and/or audible warning in the eventthat the estimated arrival time exceeds or is too close to the closingtime of the selected point of interest. In the event that the userwishes to heed this warning, the application software 266 provides theuser with an opportunity to select another POI.

Alternatively, if no warning is provided, the user wishes to ignore anywarning or no temporal information can be used by the applicationsoftware 266 in order to perform the added-value calculation, theprocess of selection of the POI can be continued. In this respect, thenavigation apparatus 200 continues by displaying the calculated route332, as shown in FIG. 17, on a relatively low magnification map thatshows the entire route. The user is also provided with: another “Done”virtual button 334 that the user can press to indicate the calculatedroute is acceptable, a “Find alternative” button 336 that the user canpress to cause the navigation apparatus 200 to calculate another routeto the selected destination, and a “Details” button 338 that a user canpress to reveal selectable options for the display of more detailedinformation concerning the currently displayed route 332.

In this instance, it is assumed that the user considers the displayedroute acceptable, and once the “Done” virtual button 334 has beenpressed, the user is presented with a three-dimensional view (FIG. 18)of the current, start, location 340 for the navigation apparatus 200.

Once the destination has been set by the user, the user departs from thestarting location and the navigation apparatus 200 guides the user, in aknown manner, by updating the map in accordance with determined changesin location of the navigation apparatus 200, and by providing the userwith visual and, optionally, audible navigation instructions. In thisrespect, the navigation apparatus 200, via the processor 202 and the GPSreceiver 224 constituting a location determination unit, monitors thelocation of the navigation apparatus 200. Once the navigation apparatus200 has progressed a sufficient distance along the route planned by theapplication software 266 of the navigation apparatus 200, it isnecessary to update the three-dimensional view displayed by the displaydevice 206, 250. Using longitude and latitude data relating to thelocation of the navigation apparatus 200, the application software 266accesses map data and retrieves terrain data, land use data and roaddata and renders a three-dimensional view using this information. As thedetails of rendering views is not central to the description of theembodiments herein, for the sake of clarity and conciseness ofdescription further details of the rendering of views will not bedescribed herein.

The navigation apparatus 200 continues to provide guidance to the user,and assuming the user follows the instructions provided by thenavigation apparatus 200, the navigation apparatus 200 eventuallyidentifies the location of the destination (in this instance: therestaurant “Acquarello”) by a chequered flag 342 (FIG. 19).

Turning to FIG. 20, the POI information retrieval module 268 is able, ifdesired, to verify accuracy of the temporal information derived. In thisexample, the POI information retrieval module 268 performs this taskonce the user has arrived at the POI selected and/or the destinationselected by examining the behaviour of the user (assuming the navigationapparatus 200 follows the user). Consequently, the data verificationmodule 276 of the POI information retrieval module 268 firstlydetermines (Step 430) whether the user has arrived at the selected pointof interest and, if necessary, awaits arrival by the user at the pointof interest selected. Once the user has arrived at the selected point ofinterest, the data verification module 276 monitors a duration of timein respect of which the navigation apparatus 200 remains at the selectedpoint of interest and determines (Step 432) whether the navigationapparatus 200 has remained at, or substantially near, the selected pointof interest for a sufficiently substantial length of time. Thisdetermination can be made, for example, by comparing the duration ofstay with a predetermined time threshold, the duration of the stay canbe obtained by recording a length of time that the navigation apparatus200 resides at, or within a predetermined radius of, a location. In thisexample, the predetermined time threshold corresponds to a length oftime sufficiently substantial to infer that the user had a reason toremain at the selected point of interest. The predetermined timethreshold can vary depending upon the category of point of interest.Consequently, if the predetermined time threshold is exceeded, the dataverification module 276 then determines (Step 434) whether the durationof time spent at the selected point of interest is consistent with atleast part of the derived temporal information, for example within hoursof business for a given day. In the event that the duration of timespent at the selected point of interest is consistent with at least partof the derived temporal information, the data verification module 276concludes (Step 436) that the portion of temporal data derived and usedis likely to be correct and the local database of POIs 228 is updated(Step 438) so as to provide a confirmation that the portion of temporalinformation derived and used has been validated by the navigationapparatus 200. If desired, it can be assumed that if the portion of thederived temporal information used is correct, the rest of the temporalinformation derived for the point of interest selected is also correctand so the local database of POIs 228 can be updated accordingly.Alternatively, if the duration of time spent at the selected point ofinterest is not deemed consistent with at least part of the derivedtemporal information, the data verification module 276 concludes (Step440) that the temporal information derived is unlikely to be accurateand so the local database of POIs 228 is updated (Step 438) to removethe inaccurate temporal information recorded or to tag the temporalinformation recorded in the local database of POIs 228 as being, orsuspected, inaccurate.

In the event that the duration of time spent at the selected POI is notconsidered (Step 432) sufficiently substantial to infer that the userhad a reason to remain at the selected point of interest, the temporalinformation derived is also treated (Step 440) as unlikely to be correctand the local database of POIs 228 is updated by tagging the temporalinformation as being unlikely to be accurate.

User selection of another point of interest shortly after elapse of apredetermined period of time, for example within 5 minutes, 10 minutesor 15 minutes, following arrival at the point of interest selected isanother criterion that can be employed in order to infer that the pointof interest selected is closed or unavailable.

In this example, the data verification module 276 can also obtainfeedback from the user if necessary via the user interface of thenavigation apparatus 200 in order to confirm or further confirm accuracyof the temporal information derived or a part thereof in respect of theselected point of interest. In this respect, the data verificationmodule 276 determines (Step 442) whether it is necessary to question theuser in connection with the temporal information derived and associatedwith the POI selected, for example if the temporal information isconsidered unlikely to be correct. If the data verification module 276determines that the user should be questioned, the data verificationmodule 276 generates (Step 444), via the user interface of thenavigation apparatus 200, a question asking the user if the openinghours are correct or whether the selected point of interest was openwhen the user arrived at the selected point of interest. The user thenprovides a response to the question, for example “Yes” or “No” via theuser interface of the navigation apparatus 200. In response to the replyprovided by the user, the POI information retrieval module 268 updates(Step 446) the local database of POIs 228 with an indication as towhether or not the derived temporal information or a part thereof isaccurate or inaccurate. Where the temporal information derived or a partthereof is found by the user to be inaccurate, the data verificationmodule 276 can, alternatively, remove the inaccurate data from the localdatabase of POIs 228. Of course, if the data verification module 276determines (Step 442) that it was not necessary to question the user, nofurther action is taken in relation to the temporal information derived.

The above verification tasks can be performed in combination asdescribed above or only one of the tasks can be performed. In relationto the task of obtaining feedback from the user, the feedback does nothave to be requested on all occasions and the feedback can be obtainedsporadically or following a certain pattern of behaviour in relation touse of the navigation apparatus 200, for example after powering-up thenavigation apparatus 200 following powering-down the navigationapparatus 200 in order to go to another point of interest and/ordestination. Indeed, the feedback task can be particularly performed orreserved for when inconsistent results are obtained in relation to dataverification performed by monitoring behaviour of the user, for examplein relation to duration of stay at the point of interest selected (Step432 above).

The above embodiments have been described in the context of thesearching and derivation of the temporal information being performedlocally by the navigation apparatus 200. However, a data acquisitionsystem can be provided where the searching can be performed remotely bya remote server (not shown), the navigation apparatus 200 generating andsending a request to the remote server for temporal informationassociated with the selected POI. In this example, the request generatedcomprises information necessary to enable the remote server to performthe above described web searching in respect of the selected point ofinterest. In order to support the derivation of the temporalinformation, the remote server implements the web searching andderivation functionality described above in relation to the navigationapparatus 200, the remote server having, of course, network access.Following the performance of the search and derivation of the temporalinformation by the remote server, the remote server returns the temporalinformation to the navigation apparatus 200 for use and, if required,storage locally. A local copy of any temporal information derived canalso be stored by the remote server if desired. Alternative arrangementsare made though in relation to verification of any temporal informationderived, for example the navigation apparatus 200 can perform the dataverification described above and report results of the data verificationto the remote server.

In another embodiment, the above-described technique can be used toenrich a POI database as part of a database creation or upgrade process.In this respect, the above-described web searching and temporalinformation derivation technique can be employed by a server or othercomputing device. In this respect, the server analyses each POI in thePOI database in order to supplement POI information with temporalinformation concerning the each POI stored in the POI database, wherepossible. The POI database, once enriched, can be deployed either on aremote server that is queried by navigation apparatus for POIinformation comprising temporal information associated therewith, orstored locally by a navigation apparatus during manufacture of thenavigation apparatus or subsequent download to the device, for exampleas an update or additional feature.

It will also be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodimentsof the present invention have heretofore been described, the scope ofthe present invention is not limited to the particular arrangements setout herein and instead extends to encompass all arrangements, andmodifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the scope ofthe appended claims.

For example, although the above embodiments have largely been describedin the context of a process for setting a destination, the aboveexamples can be employed in relation to setting one or more POI whilsten-route and following a route already calculated by the navigationapparatus.

It should be appreciated that although the above examples have beendescribed in the context of a restaurant as a POI, the POI can be anyother POI having temporal properties associated therewith, for examplemunicipal locations or public amenities, such as museums, libraries,parks, recycling centres, or commercial establishments, such as shops,bars, public houses (pubs), parking garages and petrol stations.

It should also be appreciated that whilst the above examples have beendescribed in the context of deriving temporal information, the aboveexamples are not limited to the derivation of temporal information andother information can additionally or alternatively be derived inrespect of a point of interest, for example a contact detail, such as atelephone number, associated with a point of interest.

Whilst embodiments described in the foregoing detailed description referto GPS, it should be noted that the navigation apparatus may utilise anykind of position sensing technology as an alternative to (or indeed inaddition to) GPS. For example the navigation apparatus may utilise usingother global navigation satellite systems such as the European Galileosystem. Equally, it is not limited to satellite based but could readilyfunction using ground based beacons or any other kind of system thatenables the device to determine its geographic location.

Alternative embodiments of the invention can be implemented as acomputer program product for use with a computer system, the computerprogram product being, for example, a series of computer instructionsstored on a tangible data recording medium, such as a diskette, CD-ROM,ROM, or fixed disk, or embodied in a computer data signal, the signalbeing transmitted over a tangible medium or a wireless medium, forexample, microwave or infrared. The series of computer instructions canconstitute all or part of the functionality described above, and canalso be stored in any memory device, volatile or non-volatile, such assemiconductor, magnetic, optical or other memory device.

It will also be well understood by persons of ordinary skill in the artthat whilst the preferred embodiment implements certain functionality bymeans of software, that functionality could equally be implementedsolely in hardware (for example by means of one or more ASICs(application specific integrated circuit)) or indeed by a mix ofhardware and software. As such, the scope of the present inventionshould not be interpreted as being limited only to being implemented insoftware.

Lastly, it should also be noted that whilst the accompanying claims setout particular combinations of features described herein, the scope ofthe present invention is not limited to the particular combinationshereafter claimed, but instead extends to encompass any combination offeatures or embodiments herein disclosed irrespective of whether or notthat particular combination has been specifically enumerated in theaccompanying claims at this time.

1-25. (canceled)
 26. A computer-implemented method for acquiring data inrelation to a point of interest, the method comprising: determining, bya processor, that a navigation apparatus arrived within a specifieddistance of a point of interest; determining, by the processor, a lengthof time for which the navigation apparatus remained within the specifieddistance of the point of interest; determining, by the processor, basedon the length of time, whether at least part of derived temporalinformation associated with the point of interest is likely correct;when the at least part of the derived temporal information is likelycorrect, updating, by the processor, a local database of points ofinterest; and when the at least part of the derived temporal informationis not likely correct, inquiring with a user, by the processor, ifspecified open hours for the point of interest are correct and/orwhether the point of interest was open when the navigation apparatusarrived at the point of interest.
 27. The method of claim 26, furthercomprising: generating a search query relating to the point of interestand receiving one or more search results in response thereto.
 28. Themethod of claim 27, further comprising: accessing content identified inthe one or more search results and deriving the derived temporalinformation from the content.
 29. The method of claim 28, furthercomprising: analyzing the content and determining, based on theanalysis, whether the content comprises temporal information associatedwith the point of interest.
 30. The method of claim 29, furthercomprising: when the content does not comprise temporal informationassociated with the point of interest, disregarding a search resultassociated with the content.
 31. The method of claim 26, generating asearch query relating to the point of interest and receiving searchresults in response thereto; presenting the search results to the user;receiving, from the user, an indication of a selected search result fromamong the search results; and accessing content identified in theselected search result and deriving the derived temporal informationfrom the content.
 32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:receiving, from the user, at least one search term to be used in thesearch query.
 33. The method of claim 26, further comprising: accessingcustomary temporal information associated with the point of interest;and deriving the derived temporal information from the customarytemporal information.
 34. The method of claim 26, further comprising:analyzing location data and associated temporal data in order to verifythe least part of the derived temporal information.
 35. The method ofclaim 26, wherein the navigation apparatus is a portable navigationdevice (PND) or forms part of an integrated navigation system.
 36. Adata acquisition apparatus, comprising: a processor; and a memory;wherein the processor is configured to: determine that a navigationapparatus arrived within a specified distance of a point of interest;determine a length of time for which the navigation apparatus remainedwithin the specified distance of the point of interest; determine, basedon the length of time, whether at least part of derived temporalinformation associated with the point of interest is likely correct;when the at least part of the derived temporal information is likelycorrect, update a local database of points of interest; and when the atleast part of the derived temporal information is not likely correct,inquire with a user if specified open hours for the point of interestare correct and/or whether the point of interest was open when thenavigation apparatus arrived at the point of interest.
 37. The apparatusof claim 36, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate asearch query relating to the point of interest and receive one or moresearch results in response thereto; and access content identified in theone or more search results and derive the derived temporal informationfrom the content.
 38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the processoris further configured to: determine, based on an analysis of thecontent, that the content does not include temporal informationassociated with the point of interest and disregard a search resultassociated with the content.
 39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: generate a search query relating tothe point of interest and receiving search results in response thereto;present the search results to the user; receive, from the user, anindication of a selected search result from among the search results;and access content identified in the selected search result and derivingthe derived temporal information from the content.
 40. The apparatus ofclaim 39, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive, fromthe user, at least one search term to be used in the search query.
 42. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform amethod for acquiring data in relation to a point of interest, the methodcomprising: determining that a navigation apparatus arrived within aspecified distance of a point of interest; determining a length of timefor which the navigation apparatus remained within the specifieddistance of the point of interest; determining, based on the length oftime, whether at least part of derived temporal information associatedwith the point of interest is likely correct; when the at least part ofthe derived temporal information is likely correct, updating a localdatabase of points of interest; and when the at least part of thederived temporal information is not likely correct, inquiring with auser if specified open hours for the point of interest are correctand/or whether the point of interest was open when the navigationapparatus arrived at the point of interest.
 43. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 42, wherein the method furthercomprises: generating a search query relating to the point of interestand receiving one or more search results in response thereto; andaccessing content identified in the one or more search results andderiving the derived temporal information from the content.
 44. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein themethod further comprises: determining, based on an analysis of thecontent, that the content does not include temporal informationassociated with the point of interest and disregarding a search resultassociated with the content.
 45. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 42, wherein the method further comprises:generating a search query relating to the point of interest andreceiving search results in response thereto; presenting the searchresults to the user; receiving, from the user, an indication of aselected search result from among the search results; and accessingcontent identified in the selected search result and deriving thederived temporal information from the content.
 46. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 45, wherein the method furthercomprises: receiving, from the user, at least one search term to be usedin the search query.